-
†. Gen 3:5b . . who know good from evil.
Why anybody in Eve's circumstances would have the slightest interest in
knowing good from evil defies reason. I mean, in her circumstances, in the
garden of Eden; who would even have a use for that kind of information?
But we all know that's about; don't we. Yes; human nature's curiosity is
never satisfied. The desire for information, even trivial information, is
common to all of us. I'd imagine that after observing Adam and his wife for a
while, the Serpent figured that out all by himself in no time at all.
The Serpent was correct about one thing though. Eve would know good from
evil after eating from the tree alright; only he didn't tell her it would be an
instinctive knowing rather than an enlightened knowing. In other words;
man wasn't designed to be a god; but rather, the student of a god.
"I know, O Yhvh, that a man's way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who
walks to direct his steps." (Jer 10:23)
†. Gen 3:6a . . When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating
By watching what birds and animals eat, people can often tell what's safe for
human consumption. That's not always true of course, but it's a pretty good
rule of thumb. So the woman could safely assume the tree wasn't poisonous
if there wasn't a growing pile of sick and/or dead critters at the base of the
tree.
†. Gen 3:6b . . and a delight to the eyes,
Most fruits and vegetables are appealing-- just look at bananas and pears
and apples and oranges and watermelon and cantaloupe and grapes and
carrots, and radishes, and plums and mangoes and strawberries and
whatever. God doubtless made them that way so Man could not only nourish
himself, but also enjoy his food; viz: not only eat because he has to, but
also because he'd like to.
†. Gen 3:6c . . and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom,
The "wisdom" available from the tree was in the form of "instinct" which can
be defined as 1) a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned,
2) a natural predilection and/or proclivity that makes you want to act in a
particular way, and 3) something you know without learning it or thinking
about it.
Some folks, insulted by being thought of as no more sophisticated then a
bird or a beast, prefer to have their instincts labeled "intuition". Well; that's
okay by me. In my mind's eye there's no difference, so what the hay; let the
Wookie win one.
Anyway, Eve probably figured that a fruit as attractive to the eye, and
appealing to one's mind, as that of the forbidden tree couldn't possibly be as
bad as God led them to believe. I mean, if it at least had some sharp
needles like cactus pears, or maybe a prickly surface like a pineapple, then it
would at least have been a bit intimidating; but the forbidden fruit was
nothing like that; no, it looked very benevolent.
†. Gen 3:6d . . she took of its fruit and ate.
You can just see Eve's eyes brighten from the sugar rush as she realized the
Serpent was right after all-- she didn't drop dead. So the woman brought it
home and convinced her man to try it too.
†. Gen 3:6e . . She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Did Eve first deftly dice the fruit and camouflage it in a tasty parfait so her
husband wouldn't know what he was eating? No. Adam knew exactly what
he was doing. He went into it with eyes wide open.
"Adam was not the one deceived" (1Tim 2:14)
I have to wonder why the husband followed his wife's lead and did
something he knew full well to be breaking God's commandment and putting
himself at risk of death. Genesis doesn't reveal why Adam chose to eat the
fruit. I suppose he had his reasons, but apparently God didn't think they
were sufficient to excuse the man's disobedience.
I think Adam was cautious at first, and kept a wary eye on Eve for some
time waiting to see if she would get sick; and when she didn't, he surely had
to wonder if maybe God was wrong.
I think most husbands would sympathize with Adam. I mean: here's your
wife sitting right beside you happily munching away on something that you
were led to believe was toxic, and she's still healthy, lucid, and exhibiting no
ill side effects: how is a man supposed to argue with that?
Adam was told by a competent source that the forbidden tree was lethal.
Though he could see for himself that Eve was experiencing no ill side effects;
he should have refused to taste it until at the very least he consulted with
somebody who knows what they're talking about: which in his case was the
maker of the fruit.
There's a useful lesson to be learned from it. In other words: Faith doesn't
rely entirely upon empirical evidence, but instead; believes what's revealed
to it rather than only what makes sense to it.
Eve's apparent immunity to the fruit's toxins wasn't really reason enough to
assume that God's instructions were unreliable. But even had they been
unreliable; it was still wrong of Adam to brush them aside and do as he
pleased. He was told not to eat the fruit. Whether it was actually toxic or
harmless is unimportant. This episode was primarily about the quality of
Adam's attitude towards authority rather than about the quality of the fruit.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 3:5b . . who know good from evil.
Why anybody in Eve's circumstances would have the slightest interest in
knowing good from evil defies reason. I mean, in her circumstances, in the
garden of Eden; who would even have a use for that kind of information?
But we all know that's about; don't we. Yes; human nature's curiosity is
never satisfied. The desire for information, even trivial information, is
common to all of us. I'd imagine that after observing Adam and his wife for a
while, the Serpent figured that out all by himself in no time at all.
The Serpent was correct about one thing though. Eve would know good from
evil after eating from the tree alright; only he didn't tell her it would be an
instinctive knowing rather than an enlightened knowing. In other words;
man wasn't designed to be a god; but rather, the student of a god.
"I know, O Yhvh, that a man's way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who
walks to direct his steps." (Jer 10:23)
†. Gen 3:6a . . When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating
By watching what birds and animals eat, people can often tell what's safe for
human consumption. That's not always true of course, but it's a pretty good
rule of thumb. So the woman could safely assume the tree wasn't poisonous
if there wasn't a growing pile of sick and/or dead critters at the base of the
tree.
†. Gen 3:6b . . and a delight to the eyes,
Most fruits and vegetables are appealing-- just look at bananas and pears
and apples and oranges and watermelon and cantaloupe and grapes and
carrots, and radishes, and plums and mangoes and strawberries and
whatever. God doubtless made them that way so Man could not only nourish
himself, but also enjoy his food; viz: not only eat because he has to, but
also because he'd like to.
†. Gen 3:6c . . and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom,
The "wisdom" available from the tree was in the form of "instinct" which can
be defined as 1) a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned,
2) a natural predilection and/or proclivity that makes you want to act in a
particular way, and 3) something you know without learning it or thinking
about it.
Some folks, insulted by being thought of as no more sophisticated then a
bird or a beast, prefer to have their instincts labeled "intuition". Well; that's
okay by me. In my mind's eye there's no difference, so what the hay; let the
Wookie win one.
Anyway, Eve probably figured that a fruit as attractive to the eye, and
appealing to one's mind, as that of the forbidden tree couldn't possibly be as
bad as God led them to believe. I mean, if it at least had some sharp
needles like cactus pears, or maybe a prickly surface like a pineapple, then it
would at least have been a bit intimidating; but the forbidden fruit was
nothing like that; no, it looked very benevolent.
†. Gen 3:6d . . she took of its fruit and ate.
You can just see Eve's eyes brighten from the sugar rush as she realized the
Serpent was right after all-- she didn't drop dead. So the woman brought it
home and convinced her man to try it too.
†. Gen 3:6e . . She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Did Eve first deftly dice the fruit and camouflage it in a tasty parfait so her
husband wouldn't know what he was eating? No. Adam knew exactly what
he was doing. He went into it with eyes wide open.
"Adam was not the one deceived" (1Tim 2:14)
I have to wonder why the husband followed his wife's lead and did
something he knew full well to be breaking God's commandment and putting
himself at risk of death. Genesis doesn't reveal why Adam chose to eat the
fruit. I suppose he had his reasons, but apparently God didn't think they
were sufficient to excuse the man's disobedience.
I think Adam was cautious at first, and kept a wary eye on Eve for some
time waiting to see if she would get sick; and when she didn't, he surely had
to wonder if maybe God was wrong.
I think most husbands would sympathize with Adam. I mean: here's your
wife sitting right beside you happily munching away on something that you
were led to believe was toxic, and she's still healthy, lucid, and exhibiting no
ill side effects: how is a man supposed to argue with that?
Adam was told by a competent source that the forbidden tree was lethal.
Though he could see for himself that Eve was experiencing no ill side effects;
he should have refused to taste it until at the very least he consulted with
somebody who knows what they're talking about: which in his case was the
maker of the fruit.
There's a useful lesson to be learned from it. In other words: Faith doesn't
rely entirely upon empirical evidence, but instead; believes what's revealed
to it rather than only what makes sense to it.
Eve's apparent immunity to the fruit's toxins wasn't really reason enough to
assume that God's instructions were unreliable. But even had they been
unreliable; it was still wrong of Adam to brush them aside and do as he
pleased. He was told not to eat the fruit. Whether it was actually toxic or
harmless is unimportant. This episode was primarily about the quality of
Adam's attitude towards authority rather than about the quality of the fruit.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=